Cottontail
by Mister Evil
Summary: Kathryn McCormac, better known as Katie, runs into a black dog in a midnight run. Has her luck really turned for the worst when she's initiated into the Marauders?


A/N: So! Based off the prompt, "Write about a character joining a group (such as The Death Eaters, Order of the Phoenix, Marauders, etc.)" For the Quidditch League FanFiction Competition. Essentially, I have written about joining the marauders with an OC because...well I like OC's.

Word Count: 2,593

 **'Character's Internal Thoughts.'**

* * *

I'd been working on my transformation for nearly two months now, and I thought I'd finally be able to transform with little difficulty, so with that thought, I took to the Forbidden Forest.

After a few minutes of contemplation in the silent but unsettling atmosphere of the forest, I forced myself to focus and shift my bones, morph my muscles and flesh into that of my animagus form.

I reopened my eyes; I blinked a few times to taking notice of the changes in my body and noticing more of the environment through my newly enhanced senses. My ear twitched at the sound of leaves crunching, a fast beating heart somewhere nearby, and I took off out of pure instincts.

 **'Is it weird that I kind of wanted to nibble on the leaves down here? I mean it probably is right now considering I think my little bunny heart might give out from fear.'**

I stopped, my hind legs halted immediately, my nose twitched. I smelt something strange in the air, something...foul, but my little eyes only saw blue and green surrounding me. There was nothing out of the ordinary so far.

 **'Wait…Do I hear breathing?'**

Another leaf crunched, and I shot off before I'd even told my little hare body to move. It seemed that my instincts were taking over, I was starting to worry that they would take over and I'd start developing a need to chew on everything even as a human.

Something heavy followed me, thundering steps shook the ground beneath me while I ran. I'd paused for less than a second, wondering, I should go left or right, my decision was made for me in a violent fashion.

A heavyweight hit my side, it was light, but still large enough to knock me onto my back. I moved gingerly, sharp stings ran up my side.

I couldn't see past a large, dark figure with heavy slobbery breath, it was a threatening image. I panicked, I thought I'd be better off as a human than a hare.

I flung myself sideways, forcing an immediate transformation back to my regular human form, in an attempt to fend off whatever the threat was.

"What the hell?" I blinked, staring at the black shaggy dog who seemed to just stare back, his chops hanging open. The mutt's eyes drifted down to my exposed chest?Forcing the question, much to my horror; can dogs actually be attracted to witches?

 **'I thought there was some sort of species barrier but this mangy thing was proving me wrong.'**

"Just eat me already, you perverted MUTT!" I shouted as I grabbed a handful of dirt and flung it towards the dark beast, it almost grinned at me with it's toothy overbite.

"A-are you...enjoying this? You're a bloody dog!" I cried astounded, the understatement of the century, by the way. I was flabbergasted, befuddled, and completely unsettled as I tried to cover myself and preserve at least a little modesty.

"Raur." The mutt's head bounced up and down, it hadn't lost that charming toothy grin, I processed the fact that it'd just responded to me. My mouth gaped, making it's body shake as it made noises I could only interpret as laughter.

 **'If I were a betting witch, I'd say this was another witch or wizard but...I'm not.'**

So instead, I supposed that I'd found a particularly humanish dog, one that had, had its world rocked, when it's dinner, turned into a fully...ish, grown human being. I'm not the biggest person ever, but hey! I'm not the smallest either.

I continued to stared at him, for a good minute, as the mutt, apparently, calmed itself and I decided that I needed to leave. It was getting late and it was nearly a full moon. I didn't want to be out here much longer, this had been a training exercise, to prove to myself that I could do it.

My mum and dad had swore up and down that I'd never be particularly talented with such complicated magic, they recommended that I stuck to 'pure-blood' hobbies. Those included; reading, making dry small talk, and being sold to the highest bidder, also known as, marriage.

"Raur?" This time the mangy looking thing actually sounded concerned, I'd continued to stare at him. Possibly it worried that my brain had simply turned to mush and I was at risk of it flowing out of my ears.

"Right." I stood, ignoring the odd sense of embarrassment, thanks to the dog that still watched me. I elected to take off for now, make it back to the edge of the forest, where I could just casually stroll away, making it back to my Ravenclaw bed.

I sped off and jumped off a particularly large tree root and focused on my animagus form. My little legs ran even faster after I heard a long, loud howl behind me.

It felt like he was calling someone but that's not possible. He was a simply stray dog, one that no one wanted around, but I was surprised to have found it in the Forbidden Forest.

* * *

"Katie? You with us?" A giggling black-haired girl, named Anne Rockham. She waved a hand in front of my face, drawing my attention back to her for the moment. We hadn't always gotten along, mainly because she was a half-blood, and one that was all too happy to cut down any educational competition to get the best grade.

 **'Ravenclaws were funny like that. We'd band together for in life or death situations, but...when it came to class, you better be prepared to fight dirty.'**

"Oh, yeah. So, divination, right?" I checked, tucking a blonde strand of hair behind my ear, trying to focus on both eating my breakfast and listening to the mundane small talk I should be engaged in.

I had a hard time getting to sleep last night, and when I had woke this morning, focusing in general. I couldn't get the black dog out of my head.

He seemed so...human but, that couldn't have been possible. I didn't notice any other witches or wizards, outside of the professors that is, with enough magical control to do such a thing. Well, no one else outside of myself.

"Mhm. We're meant to chart out the..." I lost interest, quickly, I took another spoonful of porridge . I was so focused on my food and my impending class that I didn't notice the conversation come to a standstill, I was surrounded.

"So...what are you eating? Porridge? That's interesting, eh, James?" The deeper voice came from my right and startled me, I dropped my spoon getting splattered with the slimy liquid in the process.

"I'd say so, Sirius. I assumed you'd be into carrots, right, Katie?" A second voice quipped, this time on my left.

I gave Anne a quick look, she was officially speechless, a rare occurance to say the least, but it was good for me. She didn't understand what the pair of idiots were alluding to. I wasn't registered for fear that the letter would be sent back to my parent's estate and I couldn't have that.

"Thats Kathryn to you. Now if you please, leave me alone." I grumbled, as I wiped the porridge from my sleeve. Standing I decided that I might as well make my way down to Potions, it wasn't like I'd get to eat in peace now.

"Oh, looks like we're walkin' her to class." Sirius grinned, I eyed the pointed edge of his tooth for a moment before turning forwards again, making sure I didn't run into anyone or anything. My heart thumping in my ears, I swallowed hard, would they turn me into the ministry?

I knew of James Potter and Sirius Black, but for different reasons, we were the Black's neighbour and our dads did business together which had included more than one dull evening together. James, however, I knew him for his cruel and ultimately arrogant nature, there was a particular incident with Severus Snape, a rather greasy Slytherin and a tree.

I didn't care for any of them, but somehow, Sirius seemed less cruel out of the three of them, a tremendous feat considering he was a Black. I figured I would need leverage so as soon as we reached an empty hallway I turned on my heel and pulled my wand, demonstrating that I was serious.

"Oh hell..." Potter mumbled wide-eyed, he glanced towards Sirius with some hesitance.

"How did you know?" I hissed, I wanted to appear ferocious whilst also keeping things quiet. They obviously knew too much, but how? I hadn't told anyone what I was doing.

 **'I'd merely pinched a Mandrake leaf from Professor Slughorn's private stores, library books had been my best-friend's 'till now. I hadn't told anyone.'**

"Woah" Black held up his hands. "Look, your secret's safe!" Black kept his hands raised in surrender, but I didn't lower my wand, they were known for their trick's. I wasn't going to be extorted.

"How. Did. You. Know?" I raised both brows, my eyes flickering between them both, searching for some sign of dishonesty, but there was none.

"Sirius saw you naked!" Potter yelled loudly, my cheeks turned red as I tried to slap my hand over his mouth.

"Shut up!" I hissed again, more than a little embarrassed, like a snake that had bit its own tail. 'Merlin! People could be walking by!'

"Prongs! You said you wouldn't snitch." Sirius had the gaul to look annoyed rather than embarrassed, as I was, giving his friend a miffed look before crossing his arms over his chest.

"Just...what do you want?" I huffed, I took a step back and let my hands fall to my sides. Surely, if they were going to turn me in, they would have done it by now.

"Well...we were thinking, you might be helpful." Sirius smiled nodding. I furrowed my brow as I motioned for them to continue on with my hands in a rolling motion.

"See, our friend. Remus, he has a... little furry problem, it's all fine but...people are starting to ask questions." Potter continued, I felt like a third wheel with just how in sync they were.

"What?" I asked confused, and waited a moment for them to explain, but nothing came. They just continued to grin at me, much to my own frustration.

"He's got, a a-hem, furry little problem, you know, around the full moon?" Sirius hinted giving me a knowing glance and mimicking dog ears with his fingers above his head...oh. Oh, jeeze.

"He's a werewolf?" I was even more taken aback now, blinking stupidly, my mouth fell open, as if that would help me make sense of this. How the hell had a werewolf gotten onto the school grounds without anyone knowing? Especially as they were were considered to be such dangerous creatures!

 **'Merlin's beard. I've been out in the forest on full moons!'**

"Yeah but that's the the thing you can help, it's more that we say it's his furry problem but see..." Potter jumped in again, then seeming to need a moment to better explain it to me.

"People hear about a rabbit but no one ever sees a bloody bunny." Sirius had less decorum about it, just spitting out the fact that they wanted me to shift into Animagus form for their mate to hold as a cover-up. I supposed it might become odd that he claimed it was a mischievous rabbit but no one ever saw one in his house or dormitory.

"And if I don't want to?" I crossed my arms over my chest in defiance.

"Then I guess we'll just have to head off to the Ministry for a bit." Potter shrugged, looking nonchalant about it as he inspected his hands.

"Are you havin' a craic with me right now?" I snorted.

"Do that, and I'll have a nice chat about Sirius Black being a bloody mutt." I was on the warpath, matching their threat with my own.

"Aw, come on, Cottontail. Join us, 'The Marauders'. We're not asking you to strip for us again!, Just let our dear ol' Remus hold you, just for a second and it'll all be over and done with!" Sirius threw his arm around my shoulders, acting a lot friendlier than I felt.

I weighed the options, their course of action did seem much easier.

 **'I wouldn't be put in Azkaban, wouldn't be a shame to my entire family… but I may still have to deal with the fact that Sirius Black got a good long look at my naked arse.'**

"Fine." I sighed, ignoring the fact that I was just called Cottontail.

"Brilliant! Your initiation into the amazing and mischievous Marauders is complete right after this." Potter grinned a little too much at me as he yanked out a folded piece of blank yellowed parchment from his robes.

"The map already? Really?" Sirius sounded surprised as was I… **'what map?'**

I watched as Potter tapped 'the map' three times and muttered the word Cottontail under his breath. **'Seriously? I'm forever 'Cottontail' now?'**

"She's already had a good long talk with you, you've stared at her tits, mate! For her it's all downhill from here." Potter shrugged as he held out the mangled parchment.

"I'm right here you know! And for _your_ information, he almost killed me!" I was confused and cross when I took it, almost crumpling it in my hands.

"I wasn't going to eat you, I was just playin' around." Sirius mumbled, as he took a step back. His arm slipped away and the bell tolled, classes were beginning. Terrific.

"Really? Playing? You swipe at things when you're playing?" I scoffed, watching him my hands on my hips after I'd shoved my wand back into my robe's pocket. He nodded slowly, eyeing me with some confusion.

"Is this good? Is this playing for you?" I slap his shoulder once, then continued with some force. I was irritated with his nonchalant attitude and I wanted to make that known.

 **'You don't play with bloody animals by smacking them!'**

"Ow! Bloody hell woman!" Sirius didn't move away but, let out varying expletives with each hit.

"Alright! Let's just do the map later." Potter saved his friend by pulling him away, I missed the last smack with the blank parchment they insisted was a map. The hallway began to fill, both worrying me and reminding me that classes should be starting soon.

"What about my "initiation"?" I used my fingers, mocking their seriousness, with air quotes.

"You're already initiated with an arse like that, Cottontail." Sirius winked over his shoulder, giving me the thumbs up, despite my glower. Potter continued to drag him away, leaving me in the hallway with three things on my mind.

 **'I have a shitty piece of parchment with nothing on it, I was apparently a Marauder now, and I'm going to be late for potions.'**


End file.
